1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION.
The field of the invention is devices providing a punching bag to respond to a boxer's punch.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART.
In the field of the invention, most all people are familiar with the two basic or common types of punching bags, the first which is tear drop shaped and which is attached at the center of a rather large flat overhead disk at a point where the enlarged bulbous portion of the punching bag is situated at proximately the boxer's head height. The tear drop punching bag, generally an air bladder covered by leather or plastic, is struck by the boxer. The bag responds by bouncing back against the flat disk and then returns to its normal vertical position. Practiced boxers will form a rhythm hitting the bag since its expected place of return is essentially known. This punching bag, which is known as a "speed bag", however does not simulate the actions and reactions of an opponent.
The second type of punching bag commonly seen in gyms and well known is the rather large bag, resembling a duffle bag, being cylindrical in shape, padded, heavy and suspended from the ceiling. These bags, which respond to a boxer's punches, swing from the chain or other means suspending them and, because of their weight, have rather a large amount of inertia. However, these bags also suffer from the shortcoming that the boxer always knows where the bag is going to be, therefore he directs his next punch without really being concerned, since he knows the bag is going to be there to receive the punch.
Other types of punching bag devices are less Hess and Zinnow, U.S. Pat. Nos. 581,462 and well known, such as the devices shown in the patents to 3,022,072 respectively. Both of these patents present a punching device consisting of a bag at the end of a vertical pole wherein by the construction of the pole, springing action is provided to bring the punching bag back to its original at rest position after being struck by a boxer, although there will be considerable overshoot, perhaps 4 or 5 times before the bag rests. This is accomplished in Hess by a single upright steel rod and by Zinnow utilizing an elongated upright spring.
Another punching device known to the inventor is that shown in the patent to Donato, U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,021 wherein a striking surface is operably mounted to a wall, the striking surface having a compression type spring interposed it and the wall. The spring operates within telescoping cylindrical sections such as to linearly confine the travel of the striking surface. Upon being struck, the striking surface retreats toward the wall and &hen when all the energy of the punch has been absorbed by the spring, the spring then returns the striking surface to its original position.
While the devices known to the inventor do provide surfaces to be struck and certainly do exercise the muscles of the boxer, yet the response of the surface struck or the punching bag to a boxer's punch is always known or easily and readily ascertainable. However, the punching bags or striking devices do not give the boxer practice closely related to an actual match with an opponent since in a match, you can not always determine well in advance the opponent's movements as you can with known punching bags and striking devices.
In addition, since it is well known that sparing practice between boxers has been known to cause injuries, it would be useful to provide a punching device which simulates sparing practices, but without the potential for injuries.
It is apparent that it would be useful to provide a punching device which would be useful to a boxer which more closely resembles the moving target of an opponent in an actual match. Such would be accomplished by a device having a striking surface which, when responding to a punch after being deflected, is influenced by unknown forces or forces outside the of the ability of the boxer to ascertain. Such is the function of the present invention.
Accordingly, there is an advantage of providing a punching device for boxers which provides a punching bag or striking surface for a boxer wherein a punching bag is available for being hit, and may be utilized by a single boxer and which returns to its original position substantially in a known manner, Yet, if in addition, such a device has a second boxer operating on it simultaneously providing influence to the punching bag's movement and positional situation, although the two boxers never touch each other, and by the addition of such second boxer, movement of the striking surface to its original position after being struck may not be easily ascertained by the first boxer, a more realistic punching device is provided for the boxer.
In addition, if each boxer is interchangeable, it is apparent that great benefit is provided for training of two boxers simultaneously with a single punching device.